Livelihoods Officer (м. Сєвєродонецьк), Представництво Данської Ради у справах біженців

Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is an international non-governmental organization, which promotes and supports durable solutions to the problems faced by refugees and internally displaced people all over the world. In Ukraine DRC operates since 2007. From 2015 on, DRC has successfully implemented livelihoods programmes aimed to provide IDPs and conflict-affected populations with income-earning opportunities, thus strengthening their resilience and reducing their dependence on traditional humanitarian aid. Livelihoods Officer reports to Team Leader – Livelihoods. 

Overall purpose of the role

• Under supervision of Livelihoods Assistance Programme for Eastern Ukraine (LAP) Team Leader, contribute to the implementation of the LAP via control over smooth and timely delivering target indicators of the LAP within the following components: micro-business grants, vocational education grants and job creation (SME) grants components and support to employment centres.
• Ensure the quality of the planning, implementation and follow up of all technical aspects of the sector activities being implemented by DRC
• Develop and maintain good relations with the persons of concern, relevant stakeholders and other humanitarian actors, to support adequate implementation and coordination of DRC’s sector activities

Sector responsibilities: Business training and SME development, business grants, life-skills training, literacy and numeracy training, vocational training, micro-credit loans, savings groups, group enterprise development and facilitation. Support and capacity building of government institutions, market assessment, value chains development, advocacy activities.

This role has an area focus and ensures compliance to DRC procedures and guidelines within the area. The role contributes to the development of area strategies, which are translated into action plans and day-to-day tasks. The role provides support and/or technical guidance to base operations.

Geographic scope: Area (Severodonetsk)

Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

Programming & Operations

• Under the leadership of the Livelihoods Team Leader based in Slovyansk, coordinate and implement the employment creation component of the LAP in Donetsk, Luhansk, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhya oblasts through supporting SME sector, monitoring and follow-up of the employment creation grants and evaluation of the economic impact of the funded initiatives;
• Control over timely targets delivering and follow-up the monitoring process of the main LAP components: micro-business grants, vocational education (VET) grants and job creation grants, support to ECs;
• Ensure smooth implementation of the employment creation component of the LAP in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, including disbursement of remaining grants, supporting documents’ storage and filing system, follow-up and monitoring of the target use of the funds disbursed under the signed grant agreements;
• Undertake regular monitoring of the jobs created and provide ongoing support to the programme beneficiaries;
• Implement the employment centre (EC) institutional capacity building component of the LAP;
• Coordinate the process of strengthening capacity of regional and local outlets of ECs in Donetsk in Luhansk Oblasts, including monitoring and follow-up of the assisted ECs;
• Control regular monitoring and evaluate the impact on the supported employment center institutions;
• Close collaboration with DRC-DDG Support Unit in relation to programme activities;
• Back-up other LAP Livelihoods Officers and Assistants when necessary;
• Maintain good working relations within DRC-DDG and other organizations in the area of responsibility;
• Provide leadership and bulding capacity of the new staff;
• Participate in implementation of Market Systems Development (MSD) projects (including market assessment, value chain analysis, seeking entry points in targeted areas and selection process of MSD projects).
• Cooperate with UN agencies, INGO’s and national NGO’s as needed;
• Liaise with local authorities as necessary;
• Understand, and ensure the observance of the DRC Code of Conduct;
• Perform other tasks as requested by DRC management;
• Preparation different reports related to programme activities;
• Ensure efficient and effective program implementation while following the budget and work plan;
• Participate in preparing monthly/quarterly/annual highlights/reports and proposals and budgets for donors;
• Lead the team in carrying out monitoring and evaluation exercises.

Coordination and representation

• Collaborate with relevant internal and external technical experts on sector relevant issues
• Represent DRC at meetings and other relevant technical coordination meetings
• Ensure integration with other DRC sectors

Project development

• Develop project plans and budgets for funding
• Develop projects tools
• Project implementation and reporting
• Monitor and evaluate projects

Logistics/Finance

• Support the monitoring of financial commitments and expenditures against budgets and provide timely feedback on budget follow-up
• Plan and coordinate proactively logistics and movements of staff from and to different operational areas
• Initiate procurements and ensure their execution
• Ensure distribution plans are prepared and shared with logistics in a timely manner

 About you

 Required

• Minimum 5 years of general working experience, minimum 1 year working for an INGO, preferably livelihoods sector
• Field experience
• Excellent skill in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Advanced English proficiency
• Fluency in local language: Ukrainian, Russian

All DRC roles require the post-holder to master DRC’s core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: Focusing on reaching results while ensuring efficient processes.
• Collaborating: Involving relevant parties and encouraging feedback.
• Taking the lead: Taking ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
• Communicating: Listening and speaking effectively and honestly.
• Demonstrating integrity: Upholding and promoting the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to DRC’s values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

We offer

Contract length: 3 months with the possibility to extend

Level: H

Start date: February 2020

The application is open for Ukraine citizens only. Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for National Staff; please refer to drc.ngo under Vacancies 

Application process

All applicants must send a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages) in English. Applications sent by email will not be considered.

ATTENTION: Though external and internal candidates are equally encouraged to apply for this position, in case of equal level of qualifications and interview performance the preference will be given to an internal candidate. 

Closing date for applications: 23 January 2020.

If you have questions or are facing problems with the online application process, please contact [email protected]

For further information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult our website drc.ngo.